Lead N'GO

A support and development group for NGO female leaders

Lead N’GO offers a space for self-development and mutual support for female leaders of social organizations. Initiated by Paulina Jędrzejewska, CEO of Culture Shock FOundation, it in autumn 2024, it is driven by the need for sincere conversations about challenges connected to leadership and building sisterhood in the third sector.

About the initiative

As female leaders we face a lot of responsibility. We also feel overwhelmed and lonely in our everyday work, even if they work in a team. The Lead N’GO initiative is a response to this situation. It offers a safe environment for conversations about difficult and important things. It is a space for reflection, sharing experiences, and looking for solutions together with those who truly understand what it means to be a NGO female leader.

Activities

The group members meet regularly (once a month, either on-site in Warsaw or in a hybrid model) to:

share leadership challenges,
exchange strategies, tools, and contacts,
analyse specific professional situations,
talk about team management, budget management and self-leadership,
support one another in maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

The meetings bring together Polish female leaders of civic and social organizations such as Atalaya, Stowarzyszenie Pedagogów Teatru (Theatre Pedagogues’ Association), Stowarzyszenie Pomocy i Interwencji Społecznej (Association for Social Support and Intervention), and Stowarzyszenie Jednym Słowem.

Organizer

Culture Shock Foundation

Since 2010, we have been strengthening the position of Polish and European civil society organizations and cultural institutions by enhancing efficiency in burnout prevention, the ethical use of technology, digital solutions, and leadership development. We also offer customized support through workshops, coaching, and self-assessment tools.

Initiator

Paulina Jędrzejewska

CEO, Flow Strategist, Culture Shock Foundation

Supports individuals, NGOs, social organizations, and cultural or creative institutions in adapting to rapid change. Since 2010, she has led the Culture Shock Foundation, combining culture, technology, research, and burnout prevention. As a coach, supervisor, mentor, and facilitator, she focuses on wellbeing and sustainable leadership, integrating insights from culture, identity, performance, neuroscience, and anthropology.